Mechanical action toy rabbit



June 28, 1960 L. 0. SHORT 76 MECHANICAL ACTION TOY RABBIT Filed July 21, 1958 7 INVENTOR LYN/V 0 SHORT United States Patent ce 2,942,376 r NIECHANICAL ACTION TOY RABBIT Lynn 0. Short, 6916 Encino Av'e., Van Nuys, Calif.

"' Filed JIIIYZI, 1958, S61. N0. 749,836

1 Claim. Cl. 46-104 The present invention generally relates to an amusement device in the form of a pull toy simulating an animal in appearance and closely resembling the movements of the animal.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a mechanical toy in the form of a rabbit that is mounted on wheels and which simulates the hopping motion of a rabbit when the toy is moved or propelled forwardly with the mechanical action also causing the ears of the rabbit to move forwardly and rearwardly.

Another object of the invention is to provide a toy simulating a rabbit which is highly entertaining for children, simple in construction and inexpensive to manufacture.

Still other objects and advantages will appear from the following description of an exemplifying embodiment of this invention, from the appended claim and from the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation of the toy rabbit of the present invention in one position;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the toy rabbit in another position;

Figure 3 is a sideelevation of the toy rabbit with one side thereof removed;

' Figure 4 is a fragmentary detailed sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 4-4 in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 5-5 of Figure 3; and

Figure 6 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 6-6 of Figure 3.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral 11 indicates a hollow body in the shape and size of a rabbit having a head portion with a pair of upstanding ears 12. The front part of the body 11 is supported by a pair of wheels 13 and the head portion includes a pair of simulated eyes 14. The wheels 13 are supported on a front axle 15 which has the ends thereof supported in inwardly extending trunnions or bosses integral with the body. A pair of rear wheels 16 support the rear of the body 11 with the wheels being cam-shaped and provided with a flat side for raising and lowering the rear of the body in a hopping motion as the rear wheels rotate during forward movement of the body 11.

An actuating rod 17 is connected eccentrically to an eccentric shaft between the rear wheels 16 and extends through an aperture in a guide 18 suspended from the top wall of the body 11. One end of the rod 17 is provided with a loop 19 for attachment to the eccentric shaft 21 between the wheels, and the wheels 16 are mounted on the inner ends of a pair of axles 20 which each have their outer ends thereof supported in inwardly extending trunnions integrally formed with the inside walls of the rear end portion of said body and are interconnected by eccentric shaft 21 to which the loop 19 is.

attached. The axle 20 is supported by inwardly extending Patented June 28, 1960 the ears 12. Mounted in suspended relation to the por-' tion 24 is an appendage 25 having an aperture therein for supporting a Weight 26 hooked through the aperture and rigid with the appendage 25 for retaining the ears 12 in upstanding position. The weight 26 or appendage 25 is in the path of movement of the rod 17 whereby the ears 12 will be pivoted rearwardly when the Wheels 16 rotate with the weight 26 serving to return the ears 12 to a vertical or upstanding position. 7 j

The toy is constructed for plastic injection .molding and includes a hollow shell with the various trunnions or' bosses being cored in an integral with the shell. The axle mountings are made larger than the axles to permit freedom of moving parts. The ears 12 are constructed of soft plastic to minimize the chance of breakage when the toy rabbit is picked up by the ears. The weight counterbalances the ears and holds them in upstanding relation. The ears 12 protrude through a rectangular slot in the head of the rabbit with the dimensions being such that it allows the ears 12 to be moved from a vertical position backward and down to the back of the toy. The front wheels of the toy are mounted inside the lower front part of the shell just far enough to allow freedom of motion of the toy. I

The rear wheels are cam-shaped with the axle placed eccentrically with the wheels having one flat side edge with the extremities thereof blended into the remainder of the edge by a radius at each end thereof. The transitional shape allows the wheels to roll and as it rolls forwardly it raises and drops the shell which motion simulates the hopping action of a rabbit.

The loop on the actuation or pusher rod loosely fits the eccentric shaft and the rod is loosely received in the guide which allows the rod to move forwardly and rearwardly. The guide is also molded as a part of shell and the rod may be attached tothe ears instead of merely pushing against the same. Also, one or two wheels may be pro vided for supporting the rear end of the shell.

It is understood that this invention is not confined to the particular embodiment shown and described, the same being merely illustrative, and that this invention may be carried out in other ways within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit of this invention as it is obvious that the particular embodiment shown and described is only one of the many that may be employed to attain the objects of this invention:

I claim:

A toy figure representing a rabbit comprising a generally horizontal substantially rigid plastic hollow body shell with integral head portion, a pair of inwardly extending front trunnions integrally formed with the inside walls of said body shell and adjacent the front end thereof, a front axle supported transversely within said body shell with its ends assembled in said front trunnions, a pair of small concentric supporting wheels spaced apart from each other and journalled between said front trunnions and upon said front axle inside the lower front part of the front end of said body shell to maintain the rear trunnions, a pair of: relatively large cam-shaped h el p widsdiwi h a, at urface n as n mw jo rnalled inside the lower part of said body shell and upon the inner ends of said rear axles to alternately raise and lower the rear end of said. bogly shell and pivot-said body shell vertically uponfsaid pair oftront supporting wheels during rotation of said cam shaped wheels, said carnshapedwheels spaced apart frorn each other andconnectedby an eecntric shaft mounted th ereb etween and ate. distance from" thje center axis thereof, a'thirdpair of; inwardly extending trunnions arranged in the upper section of said int eg ral head portion, a: cylindrical shaft assembledv with; its opppsite ends; mountedgin said third; pai nni ns w t fv x rtn dt i su s ntia y,

soft plastic, saidi ears jbined together by 'a co nnnon, inte-j gral hollow cylindricalportion atthe lower{ ends thereof Said. a all m un q ii on aid, ind i vl i ha t w ic xte gnsit i inallr hr9u h. a 'fc'y nd. i no tism, n penda e red 1i s s i swnt all Po t n." ndep nd p h xefitem qw a sitt j ei ht m er rigidly secured to said jappendagejandbelowsaid shaft normally maintaining said pair of ears in a substantially vertical position, a rod extendinglongitudinally through r 4 I I mounted upon said eccentriif 'shaft between said camhaped. wheels, im lei e. saiclhodysh L a s an aperture therein, the forward end of said rod normally arranged to the rear of and adjacent said appendage, the forward end portion of said rod extending through the aperture in said guide, rotation of said cam-shaped wheels effecting longitudinal movement of said rod within said body shell whereby the forward end of said rod will contact said appendage and cau's'said pair of ears to be 10 pivotallymove'difrom their. normali'v'eltical.pdsitioh backwardly anddownyvardlyto alo cation adjacent the upper surface of said'body shell -and said weighfriiember elfe'cting return ofi saiiears, totheir normal vertical posi- 'tion after said rod moves free oit said appendage.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 33. H11 ms Nev-1.5, 9;?

2,600,987" Fields 1952 FOREIGN, PATENTS 126,033 Australia V 1947 987,697' Francefi; 

